UPS Stealth Delivery

Last week, I ordered some new high definition audio/video cables and an HDMI powered switch to prepare for the Blu-Ray player I’ll be receiving as I spend Christmas with my girlfriend’s family. I placed the order with MonoPrice.com, and I expected the delivery yesterday. As I normally do, often without thinking, I directed the cables and switch to be delivered to my home address. Unfortunately, I don’t work from home most of the time, so I was not here to receive the package.

As I expected, UPS left a note on my door indicating the delivery required a signature. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to call UPS and redirect the shipment to my work location before the 7:00 deadline for delivery changes. Today, I believed that I would see another notice on my door when arriving home, but there was no such notice. My first thought was that the package was either delivered to my neighbor who neglected to let me know or was left by my door and then stolen.

I checked the delivery status online. The website indicated that the package was delivered, so I began calling UPS to find out what the deal was. While dialing, I noticed the website contained a note saying the package was left on the balcony. I peered outside, and the box was in fact right by my balcony door. I live on the second floor; did the delivery person thrown the package? The delivery required a signature, so who signed for it? My guess is the building superintendent must have been nearby. He likely signed for the package, but why place it on the balcony? If he’s going to enter the apartment, he might as well leave it inside.

UPS irritates me sometimes. A few years ago when we were living in an apartment, we had numerous odd deliveries. The worst was in the middle of winter I was expecting a package and it said it was delivered, but we couldn’t find the package. The front desk didn’t have it and nobody could tell us where it was.

A few days later I looked out on our patio and since there was snow, I noticed foot prints out around our grill. Knowing I wasn’t cooking in the snow, I went out to check. You guessed it, the package was INSIDE THE GRILL.

I’ve had UPS leave a package on my balcony. I am certain that it was thrown up there. Luckily it was just a shirt and was unbreakable, but the delivery man didn’t know that. Packages declared to be valued at more than $200 are not supposed to be left without a signature as per UPS rules, but when someone got a hold of my credit card number and ordered a laptop to an empty house, the UPS guy left it on the doorstop on his first delivery attempt with no signature.

While I am somewhat irritated by these practices, I was happy to have my shirt waiting for me when I got home rather than having to drive out to the UPS facility at the airport to pick it up! It is a tradeoff between security and convenience .

LOL @ the story itself, and also Santa… Speaking of UPS, tonight at my own house it was something out of a movie…The doorbell rang, and before I could open the door (within 2 seconds later) I saw the UPS truck screeching around the corner, almost on 2 wheels. I have to admit that I was a little skeptical of retrieving the package in this terrorist age, but then I noticed it was a package from the Disney store, haha.

That is so funny. I really doubt he threw the package up there, especially if it was right by the door. But then again, that is the only sensible explanation. Like you said if the superintendent let him in he would have just left it inside the apartment.

This is a real mystery, if you ever find out what happened let us know.

I had a friend that lived in a farm house with a driveway about a half mile long. She loved to shop online. UPS, on a regular basis, would not come up the driveway but simply dump packages in a small fenced off area next to her mailbox at the entrance to her driveway.

I had UPS deliver a few packages to my home a few years ago and the same thing happened to me. The first was sent to one of my apartments in which the landlord signed for it, the second and third packages where left at my door without anyone signing for them. Luckily my stuff went unharmed but I was a bit irritated. This prompted me to begin using a local delivery service as opposed to one that is part of a large conglomerate.

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About Luke Landes

Luke Landes founded Consumerism Commentary in 2003 and has been building online communities since 1990. Luke has contributed to PC World Magazine, US News, Forbes, and other publications. Read more about Luke and about Consumerism Commentary.

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